Treating stained garments is an aspect of laundering that could be improved. There are a variety of commercially available approaches for treating stains. In one approach the consumer merely washes with a detergent touted as having the ability to treat stains. Such an approach tends to work satisfactorily if the stains are light and not greasy. If the stains are heavy, particularly heavy greasy stains, the stains might not be removed because the chemical ingredients of detergent are diluted in the wash and are not concentrated at the stain. This can leave the consumer dissatisfied when, at the end of the wash cycle, the stains are still visible. The prospects for successful stain treatment after washing are limited, particularly if the failure is not detected until after drying the stained garment.
In another approach to treating stains, a separate stain treatment aid may be applied to the stain, e.g., by spraying or squirting the stain treatment aid directly on the stain or using a wipe impregnated with a stain treatment aid to scrub a stain. Some stain treatment aids include a motorized brush or scrubbing implement to assist with treating the stain in the fabric. This approach, however, requires the consumer to purchase and use multiple products—detergent, stain treatment aid, and any accompanying devices. The consumer must store all of these items near the washing machine, frequently in an unsightly gathering of laundry products. The consumer must remember to treat stains prior to placing stained garments in the washing machine. The consumer must locate the stain treatment aid and manipulate the packaging or device to apply the stain treatment aid to the stain. After applying the stain treatment aid, the consumer must then open the laundry detergent, measure out an appropriate dose, and deliver the dose of detergent to the washing machine. Finally, the consumer must store the laundry detergent. This multistep process is a less than desirable consumer experience, particularly given all the other demands on the consumer's time.
In yet another approach, some liquid detergents may be used to pre-treat stains through the local application of a small quantity of detergent to the stained portion of the garment. However, it can be difficult to pour a small quantity of detergent and apply it to a stain, when the detergent package is not designed for such pretreat dosing. Also, consumers may not remember to pretreat stains, when there is no signal or reminder to pretreat associated with the detergent. Finally, the use of a neat portion of liquid detergent may not provide for the consumer-desired removal of a wide range of stains. For example, exposing a stained fabric to the high level of hydrophobic surfactants found in some liquid detergents may provide for good greasy stain removal, but it may not provide for good bleachable stain (e.g., beverage stain) removal.
With these limitations in mind, there is a continuing unaddressed need for a product and approach for treating stains that intuitively suggests to the consumer to treat stains properly, is intuitive for the consumer to remember to apply, is simple to apply, and that provides effective removal of a variety of stains with a single product. The present invention addresses the aforementioned needs by providing an “all-in-one” product for pre-treatment and laundering of fabric. This all-in-one product comprises a novel combination of a cap and a detergent composition that allows for the removal of a wide range of stains, as described in greater detail hereinafter.